Cerritos, California Public Records

The California Highway Patrol covers freeways and certain unincorporated zones, and LA Metro Transit Authority maintains its own transit police. For people looking for crime data, LAPD publishes records at data.lacity.org. Under SB 2 (2023), all California law enforcement agencies must now proactively disclose sustained misconduct records, use-of-force incidents, and officer-involved shooting investigations.

Cities operating their own police departments may also run city jails for short-term holds before transfer. Finding a current inmate requires using the LASD Inmate Information Center at app5.lasd.org, where searches by name or booking number reveal bail bond information, court dates, and housing location. For inmates held in city jails such as Long Beach, Pasadena, or Burbank, contact each city's police department directly.

Recent legislation including California Proposition 57 (2016) and AB 1950 (2021) has modified sentence and probation rules that affect record visibility. Individuals with eligible convictions can petition LA Superior Court for expungement (dismissal) under Penal Code §1203.4.

Registration closes 15 days before any election, though California offers conditional voter registration through Election Day at vote centers and county election offices. Applicants must be U.S. Citizens, California residents, at least 18 by Election Day, and not currently serving a state prison term for a felony conviction. As an incorporated city, Cerritos maintains its own municipal government with city council elections on a four-year rotation. The Cerritos City Council consists of five members elected at-large who serve four-year staggered terms. Council members select the mayor from among themselves on an annual rotating basis. Municipal elections occur in March of even-numbered years, consolidated with statewide primary elections. The next Cerritos City Council election is scheduled for March 2026, when city council seats and any local ballot measures will appear on the ballot. Residents locate their assigned polling place or vote center by visiting lavote.gov and using the poll locator tool with their home address. Los Angeles County now operates under a Vote Center model allowing voters to cast ballots at any vote center countywide during the 11-day voting period before and including Election Day. Public election records include voter registration statistics (though individual voter records remain restricted), campaign finance reports filed by candidates and committees (searchable at cal-access.sos.ca.gov), candidate statements and filings, precinct-level results, and historical turnout data. In the November 2024 presidential election, Los Angeles County reported approximately 4.1 million registered voters with turnout running 68-72 percent, reflecting strong participation in the presidential race. For the November 3, 2026 general election, voters will decide several critical races including the California gubernatorial election (Governor Gavin Newsom's term expires in 2027), all 80 California State Assembly seats, 20 of the 40 State Senate seats, all 52 U.S. House seats representing California, and various county offices including Sheriff, Assessor, District Attorney (depending on term schedules), and Superior Court judges. The U.S. Senate seat currently held by Alex Padilla is not up for election in 2026, with his next race in 2028. Local voters will also decide any city council seats up for election and local ballot measures. California offers multiple voting methods: by mail (any registered voter can request a vote-by-mail ballot through the Los Angeles County elections office or online at lavote.gov, with ballots mailed starting 29 days before the election), at vote centers during the 11-day voting period, or at traditional polling places on Election Day. Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received within seven days to count, or can be dropped at any vote center or official ballot drop box through 8 p.m. On Election Day.